Enteral feeding systems are widely used in hospitals and nursing homes to nourish patients with a variety of afflictions. Standard commercial feeding systems, while able to serve their intended purpose, possess certain drawbacks and inconveniences which the present invention seeks to cure. Among the drawbacks of the prior art in some cases is the possibility of inadvertently connecting the enteral feeding system with an intravenous system or tube. This hazard has been eliminated with the construction of the present application. Another drawback of the prior art is that the components, such as the feeding tubes of one standard system, are not compatible and usable in another system. This incompatibility has been eliminated in the invention, allowing maximum utilization of the system and maximum cost effectiveness.
A main objective of the invention is to provide an enteral feeding system that embodies reversal of the standard male/female connections of an intravenous system so as to prevent any chance of interchangeability.
Additionally, an object of the invention is to provide a readily removable guide wire assembly for an enteral feeding tube having an attached double-ended female adapter which enables the use of the guide wire with an irrigating and lubricating syringe to place the feeding tube in a patient requiring it with greater comfort and precision.
Another important object is to provide a safety pressure relief means on the feeding tube assembly which will relieve pressure at about 40 psi.
Another object is to provide a highly flexible end terminal on the guide wire to facilitate comfortable and safe guidance of the tube assembly into the patient.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following detailed description.